Quote ="Tyke's/Rhinos No. 1 Fan"IMO we need 4 tough young-middle aged forwards, someone who can direct the team around the park and a hooker, plus someone to fill the Senior-shaped hole at LC. My current shopping list would be:
Amor-loan return
Ambler-loan return
Elima-OOC
Bateman-Bradford
Kopczak-Bradford
Hood-loan return
Millard-OOC
to balance this off, release Peacock, Kirke, Smith & Clarkson. Leaves a Front row group of Leuluai, Griffin, Bailey, Kopczak, Ambler & Amor; and a second row group of Jones-Buchanan, Ablett, Elima, Delaney, Hauraki & Daniel Smith, with Bateman at LF. McShane & Hood to fight for starting Hooker role, with Burrow benching as standard, and look at starting Ward at 6 ahead of Sinfield, with McGuire to continue at 7.
Also, make a decision asap on who the next captain will be after Sinfield. Arise Sir Carl Ablett.'"
The only person on that 'shopping list' I can see playing for us again is Hood.
Agree with others though, an NRL Winger is not a priority and a waste of Cap and Quota space.
IF Williams is signed it will probably mean Chisholm ending up on loan somewhere and then ending up at another SL team some time down the line.
Chisholm may or may not end up being a hit in our first team at SL level, but I'd sure as hell like to see him given a chance before we sign an NRL winger.
There's a history on here and with sporting fans in general that when the team is not going well, players out of the team are always 'bigged' up as being the answer, ''get him in'', 'he's going to be a star etc etc.
We've seen it with McShane, Hardaker and to a lesser extent with Hood and Lunt already.
Many didn't want to see Buderus kept on this season because they saw McShane and Hood as the answer to our prayers but both have had some critism on here when they have played and been found wanting in defence.
Lunt is then brought in despite us having these two great next generation hookers and after his debut is compared to Buderus etc and there's a longing to sign him FT yet a few games later his contribution is now getting questioned along with those of other multi GF winning team members.
I fear the same could be true of Amor and Ambler.
When both have played the odd game for us many have slated their performance, or lack of and stated they'd never make it etc they go on loan and yet when we start to struggle, suddenly they are seen as almost our pack saviours.
I suppose it's the fickle nature of sports fans in general that everyone in a team that suffers a bad run is past it, not good enough, waste of a shirt etc and the call is to bring the 'reserves' in who are then 'bigged up' for a few games before they too are deemed not 'upto SL standard' and the axe in then demanded on them as well.
People on here that were slagging off their own team and players this time last year were then pronouncing the very same players to be the best ever after the 'run in' last year to our next GF triumph.
I think and would hope that this group of special players in our history have earned the right to try and rectify matters this year before the calls for many to be axed.
Nothing lasts for ever and granted some changes will need to be made over this next couple of years and are already been made in terms of the integration of Watkins,BJB,Hardaker,McShane,Hood etc into the 1st team but will our fans be happy to accept a couple more years of 'under performing' whilst the next generation learn their trade at SL level?
The 'problem' with winning so many GF trophies in recent years is that fans expect, even demand that success to continue but it is very hard to maintain that in any Salary Cap sport and this group have excelled in reaching 6 GF's in the last 8 years and winning 5 of them.
Our club spent many years 'splashing the cash' in the hope of winning trophies and it didn't work and nearly bankrupt us before the Caddick & Hetherington 'rescue'